Brewers Director of New Media Caitlin Moyer gives Brewers fans an inside look at the Milwaukee Brewers and what's going on at One Brewers Way.

Results tagged ‘ Postseason ’

In preparing for the possibility of October baseball, the Brewers are now offering four options to secure tickets to Brewers Postseason games at Miller Park.

“The demand for Postseason tickets in 2008 and 2011 far exceeded the supply, and we expect that to be repeated this year,” said Brewers Chief Operating Officer Rick Schlesinger. “While current Season Seat Holders already have guaranteed rights to Postseason tickets, we are now offering a limited opportunity for all fans to purchase tickets and secure their seats in Miller Park for October.”

1) The first option is for fans to purchase a 10-Game Fan’s Choice Plan for the 2014 season and place a full season deposit for 2015. Fans who select this option will be given the opportunity to purchase tickets to ALL 2014 Postseason games at Miller Park, including the World Series. Fans would select their desired seating category for the 2015 season and submit a deposit to qualify. The cost of the 10-Pack plus the required deposit for Field Level is $1,920 per seat and Loge/Club Level is $1,340 per seat.

2)The second option is for fans to purchase a 10-Game Fan’s Choice Plan for the 2014 season and place a 20-Game deposit for the 2015 season. Those who choose this option will be given the opportunity to purchase tickets to all Wild Card, NLDS and NLCS games at Miller Park. Fans would select the desired seating category for the 2015 season and submit a deposit to qualify. The cost of the 10-Pack plus the required deposit for Field Level is $920 per seat, Loge/Club Level is $740 per seat and Terrace Level is $430 per seat. Note – only 20-Game set plans are available for 2015 through these deposits (no Fan’s Choice Plans).

After Sunday, August 24, the 10-Game Fan’s Choice for 2014 is no longer available and the deposit amounts for 2015 Full-Season and 20-Game Plans increase.

3) As a third option, fans can put a full season deposit down for 2015 (after August 24). Fans who select this option will be given the opportunity to purchase tickets to ALL 2014 Postseason games at Miller Park. The required deposit per seat is $3,000 for Field Level, $2,000 for Loge/Club Level, and $1,000 for Terrace Box seating.

4)The fourth option is to place a 20-Game deposit for the 2015 season (after August 24). Fans who select this option will be given the opportunity to purchase tickets to all Wild Card, NLDS and NLCS games at Miller Park. The required deposit per seat is $800 for Field Level, $600 for Loge/Club Level, and $300 for Terrace Level. Note – only 20-Game set plans are available for 2015 through these deposits (no Fan’s Choice Plans).

Fans interested in these options can visit Brewers.com or call 414-902-4487 (HITS). There are 19 regular season games remaining on the home schedule, including three All-Fan bobblehead dates and Fan Appreciation Night presented by Chevrolet on Saturday, September 27.

Thanks in large part to you, Brewers fans, we’ve won 19 of our last 22 games at Miller Park and are 46-29 overall at home this season—a .613 winning percentage that is one of the best in Major League Baseball. And now, as we make our final Postseason push, we need you more than ever. We urge you to come out and pack Miller Park during our last six regular season home games and give us that home-field advantage for which you’re famous.

We’ve got all kinds of fun in store for you during Fan Appreciation Weekend this Friday, Saturday and Sunday vs. the Houston Astros and then the Padres come to town on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Today we announced details for a Postseason Single-Game Ticketing Opportunity that will give fans an opportunity to register for the right to purchase tickets to potential individual 2012 Postseason games held at Miller Park.

Beginning Monday, September 24 at noon CT.,fans interested in registering may go to brewers.com/postseason and look for the link to “Postseason Single-Game Ticketing Opportunity.”

With inventory expected to be very limited, it is likely that only a very small number of fans will be selected to purchase tickets through this registration opportunity.

“In 2011, we had over 200,000 fans register for a similar opportunity and we were only able to accommodate a very small fraction of them,” said Rick Schlesinger, Brewers Chief Operating Officer. “As such, we encourage fans looking for guaranteed Postseason ticket rights to contact our ticket sales office at (414) 902-HITS (4487) and place a deposit on 2013 Season Seats.”

Fans looking to ensure tickets to Postseason games at Miller Park may bypass this single game registration by placing a deposit on a Season Seat Plan for 2013.

Details on all Postseason ticket options follow:

POSTSEASON SINGLE-GAME TICKETING OPPORTUNITY

Registration for the Wild Card and National league Division Series (NLDS) rounds will begin at 12:00 p.m. CT Monday, September 24 and will close at 11:59 p.m. CT, Sunday, September 30.

The Brewers will conduct a random selection of winners from the pool of registrants for each of the three Postseason series. The Wild Card and NLDS winners will be notified via email on Tuesday, October 2 and will have the opportunity to purchase up to four (4) tickets to one (1) game of the Wild Card OR NLDS, while supplies last.

While registration for the Wild Card and NLDS will close on September 30, it will remain open for the National League Championship Series and World Series. Winners for those two rounds will be selected from the pool of registrants at later dates. Registrants (including winners of previous drawings) will be eligible for each drawing.

All 2012 Postseason tickets purchased for individual games through Brewers.com will be “print at home.”

There is no charge to register for this opportunity, and additional rules and information are available at brewers.com/postseason.

GUARANTEED RIGHTS TO POSTSEASON TICKETS

The first option is for fans to purchase a Full Season Ticket Plan for the 2013 season. Fans who select this option will be given the opportunity to purchase tickets to ALL 2012 Postseason games at Miller Park, including the World Series (while supplies last).

The second option is for fans to purchase a 20-Game Plan for the 2013 season. Those who choose this option will be given the opportunity to purchase tickets to all 2012 Wild Card, NLDS and NLCS games at Miller Park (while supplies last).

Fans interested in either one of these two options can visit brewers.com/postseason or call (414) 902-HITS (4487).

One of the most popular offseason events for Brewers fans will begin tomorrow at Miller Park. The 31st Annual Clubhouse Sale will open tomorrow at 8 a.m. in the visiting clubhouse at Miller Park. It will close at 7 p.m. Friday and again run from 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Cait and I were able to sneak in the store today to get a preview of some items and we are happy to share them with you. First, a couple of notes on the sale…

– The Brewers will also have representatives available to handle requests for Holiday 4-Packs and Brewers 10-Packs.

– On Friday, every 31st customer sale at the Clubhouse Sale receives two FREE Brewers On Deck tickets (one per customer, while supplies last).

– As an extra offer, a more-you-spend-the-more-you-save coupon will be offered. Coupons of $10/$20/$30 will be offered to the Brewers Team Store by Majestic for those spending $100/$200/$300 at the Clubhouse Sale during the sale.

– Every purchase of $100 or more in the Brewers Team Store by Majestic this weekend will come with two FREE tickets to a 2012 Brewers game, while supplies last (one per customer).

– In addition, children can have their photo taken with Bernie Brewer and the Famous Racing Sausages on Friday from 10 a.m. – noon and with Santa on Saturday from noon – 2 p.m. at the Brewers Team Store by Majestic. Fans should bring their own cameras and the photos will be free of charge with any purchase.

John’s Picks

It was a very exciting 2011 season and I’m going to start my preview with some items from the Brewers run in the 2011 Postseason.

Brewers Postseason Sweatshirt

Brewers Postseason Sweatshirt

One of the most popular items of the 2011 postseason was the 2011 Majestic Hooded sweatshirt seen here on manager Ron Roenicke. The sweatshirt was worn by the players and coaches throughout the Postseason and is on sale for only $40.

Brewers Division Champions T-Shirt

Brewers Division Champions Locker Room T-Shirt

As seen here modeled by John Axford and myself after the celebration, the Brewers 2011 Division Champions T-Shirt will always be a great memory of a great Brewers season. This shirt along with a number of other Division Champions shirts are on sale for only $15. The Locker Room hat is also on sale for $15. The shirts don’t come with the smell of champagne like ours does in the picture, but if it is that you are looking for…

Authenticated Champagne Celebration Bottles

Authenticated Champagne Celebration Bottles

…you can buy a number of champagne bottles popped when celebrating the 2011 Division Championship from the Brewers Clubhouse. This would be the ultimate collectors item and are authenticated by Major League Baseball.

A select number of authenticated champagne bottles used in the locker room celebrations at Miller Park are on sale this weekend.

American Flag Hats

American Flag Hats

These American flag hats are a great way to show off your patriotism as well as your support for the Brewers. These fitted New Era caps are just $15 and are really sharp.

Mitchell and Ness Brewers Jacket

Mitchell and Ness Brewers Jacket

Mitchell and Ness started the retro craze years ago and continues to produce some of the best retro team gear (I think i suggested this in my Clubhouse Sale preview last year, but if you are a fan of their stuff and are in Philadelphia, don’t miss their store, it is great). The sewn logo and letters show great quality. This Brewers retro jacket is just $50.

Milwaukee Shirt

Milwaukee Shirt

This “Milwaukee” shirt by Forty Seven (formerly Banner) is soft to the touch and only $20. The Milwaukee road uniforms remain my favorite and this is a good representation of those uniforms.

NLDS Name Plate

Clubhouse Name Plates

These always go fast as they are all one-of-a-kind. Authenticated player name plates right from the Brewers clubhouse are available in various players and from various years. The entire set of players from the 2011 NLDS was available, but is sure to go very quickly (Authentication tip: The MLB Authenticated items can be tracked by clicking here). You can even buy Joe Crawford’s name plate!

We love you Joe!

Down in the Valley Book

Down in the Valley Book

If you didn’t pick up a copy of this book when it originally went on sale just over 10 years ago, you really should. It is a great retrospective on Milwaukee County Stadium written by Gregg Hoffmann. Great stories and pictures in the book are sure to bring back memories of a special place where many of up saw our first professional baseball game.

Inside Baseball Record

Inside Baseball Record

As many of you know, I am a history nerd and couldn’t resist picking this up because I had never seen it before. An instructional record with baseball tips from the Milwaukee Brewers produced in 1972, this is a must-have for any collector. Tips from Ken Sanders, Dave May, Del Crandall and interviews conducted by Johnny Logan, this is surely to be a classic. Oddly enough, I don’t have a record player at my desk, but you can bet I will dust of the record player at my parent’s house and listen. At only $1, you can’t miss this.

2011 Media Guide

2011 Brewers Media Guide

This is a shameless self plug for myself and the rest of the Media Relations Department that spent so many hours on this masterpiece, but every Brewers fan needs a copy of this book. One day you will all want to look back at the 2011 NL Central Division Champions and have this keepsake in your collection.

Cait’s Picks

As I think I may have mentioned here on the blog before, I am a big Black Friday shopper. Last week, my friend Stephanie and I were hitting the stores the night of Thanksgiving and we shopped all through the night and into the better part of the day. When it comes to shopping and deals, we’re no rookies, so it should mean a lot when I tell you that none of the items we snapped up that day don’t even come close to some of the deals you’ll find at the Brewers Clubhouse Sale!

In addition to all of John’s cool finds, here are a couple of other things I wanted to highlight:

Camouflage Cap

Camouflage Cap

There is a wide assortment of caps available from $5-$20. I picked up this camouflage cap with a blaze orange M for my husband, Brian. Brian not only likes to go hunting each year, but he also works for Sportsman Channel, which is a hunting and fishing cable network based out of New Berlin. This cap marries (ha!) his two passions beautifully.

Women’s Gear

There are lots of really cute tanks, tees, jackets and hoodies for women this year! Working here so many years and also, of course, being a fan myself, I kind of had to restrain myself from purchasing too many items! Here are just a couple of my favorites.

Majestic Women's V-Neck

Majestic Women’s V-Neck

This white Majestic top has a flattering cut and is very sporty. It’s retailing for just $15 this weekend.

Majestic Women's Track Jacket

Majestic Women’s Track Jacket

This track jacket would go well with the tee; sporty and cute, it is going for just $40.

Victoria's Secret Pink Tee

Victoria’s Secret Pink Strike ‘Em Out Tee

Did you see the new Victoria’s Secret Pink Brewers line this year? Sold in both Victoria’s Secret stores and the Brewers Team Stores, their stuff is so cute and so comfortable! This cute v-neck tee is selling for just $15.

Full-zip Pattern Sweater

Full-zip Sweater

Sweaters

Just in time for the cold winter weather headed our way, these warm Brewers sweaters are on sale for just $40! Both men’s and women’s sweaters are zip-cardigan style and the women’s sweater also features a hood. I can just see fans wearing these, gathered around the fire or “hot stove,” talkin’ Brewers this offseason.

Kids and Babies

There are lots of items for kids and babies at the sale this year, too—good thing because three of my friends had new babies this year alone!

Baby Girl Warm Up Suit

Baby T-Shirt

Check out this cute girls’ tee for just $4 and this Majestic pink tracksuit for just $20.

Sausage Toys

There are also lots of toys and novelties, like these Famous Racing Sausages plush toys, which are selling for $10 each.

As you can see, this year, when it comes to your holiday shopping, you’ll find all of your MVPs [Most Valuable Presents] right here at the Clubhouse Sale. Happy Shopping!

If you didn’t make it out to Miller Park for Games 1 or 2 of the NLCS, you’ll want to make sure you come out to visit the Brewers Team Store by Majestic sometime this week to get all of your NLCS gear!

Here are just some of the cool new items that arrived on Sunday:

This 2011 NLCS Brewers vs. Cardinals cap retails for $30.

This two-sided black matchup tee has both team's rosters on the reverse. It retails for $35.

This cream-colored matchup tee is $30.

For all of you pin collectors out there, we also got in a very nice 2011 National League Central Division Champions pin, which retails for $6:

Game 1 is finally here. Miller Park is sparkling clean and ready for a packed house. I have a link to the Brewers End of Season Gamenotes below as well as the Game 1 notes (a shorter version of our regular season gamenotes). Fans coming to tomorrow’s game 2 at Miller Park are reminded of the updated game time of 4:07 p.m. CT. Enjoy this weekend Brewers fans!

Today, thousands of Brewers fans gathered at the Summerfest grounds for the Brewers Playoff Rally, a special event to help give our National League Central Division Champions a proper send-off into the Postseason.

The Brewers Playoff Rally began at 4:00 p.m. at the Miller Lite Oasis with an appearance by The Good Rebels (formerly Pan Am), a band out of Los Angeles led by Dan Attanasio, son of Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio. The band succeeded in getting the fans appropriately pumped up with lively original tunes, a few cover songs and some “Let’s Go Brewers, Let’s Go!” chants. And, as if he didn’t already have enough to celebrate, it also happened to be Mark Attanasio”s birthday today, so the band also led the crowd in a rousing sing along of “Happy Birthday” to him.

After The Good Rebels performance, Bernie Brewer and the Klement’s Famous Racing Sausages made an appearance on stage, followed by Brewers Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Uecker, who was hosting the event, along with other Brewers broadcast personalities Bill Schroeder, Cory Provus and Craig Coshun; Hall of Famer Robin Yount; Mark Attanasio; and General Manager Doug Melvin. Each received a warm welcome from the crowd.

Then came the moment everyone was waiting for– the crowd went wild as the Division Champs filed onstage to thank fans for their support and, at the same time, get everyone excited for what we hope will be a long run into October.

For those that were there or who were watching on Fox Sports Wisconsin, you know that there were many memorable moments as the players were individually introduced and interviewed.

There was the raucous cheer for Brewers Manager Ron Roenicke; the spontaneous chants of “One More Year” and “M-V-P” that erupted from the fans when Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, respectively, were introduced; the extra-loud receptions for hometown hero Craig Counsell; and of course, the energetic Nyjer Morgan, who was the perfect player to lead off the rally and incite the fans with the “beast mode” gesture.

As the We Energies High-Energy Player of the Year, Morgan quickly became a fan favorite this year, due in part to his outgoing personality, passion, hard work and aggressive approach to playing the game.

“Is America ready for Tony Plush in the World Series?” Bill Schroeder asked him in an interview.

“I’m proud to be a Brewer right now! Ahhhhh!” Morgan exclaimed.

Fans were assured that Morgan is going to continue to be himself (and Tony Plush) by bringing that energy and spark to the team throughout the Postseason as Jerry Hairston, Jr. revealed this to the crowd, “On the bus over here, Tony Plush said that if and when we win the World Series, he is going to do a Michael Jackson dance in front of all of you guys!”

And speaking of things Brewers fans have to look forward to, Mark Kotsay also gave the fans something to cheer about when he said that he hopes to be standing back on the stage in “three and a half weeks with a ring.”

And it was Kotsay who also said to the crowd, “I thought you guys would chant ‘one more year’ for Craig Counsell!”

Then they did.

“I was a 12-year-old in 1982. I waited with the rest of you. Now we’re going back almost 30 years later and we want to take it one step further than they did!” the Wisconsin native and fan favorite Counsell exclaimed.

He also gave well-deserved credit to the fans: “All you have to do is look at our home record and you know how much our fans meant to us,” he said.

Ryan Braun was the last to address the crowd.

“I hope today is the first of many celebrations for us,” he said.

After the players departed to more cheers, Five for Fighting took the stage.

Five for Fighting performs at the Brewers Playoff Rally on Thursday Photo: Scott Paulus

Five For Fighting, like The Good Rebels, is also out of Los Angeles. The band is fronted by singer/songwriter John Ondrasik and has multiple critically-acclaimed and award-winning records to their credit. Their breakthrough came in 2001 with the Grammy-nominated song “Superman” from the Platinum certified “America Town” (Aware/Columbia) CD. In 2004, Ondrasik and the band recorded the Platinum-certified album, “The Battle For Everything,” which yielded the retrospective hit, “100 Years.” Other recent records include “Two Lights” (2006) and the first live Five For Fighting CD titled “Live” (2007).

Earlier in the afternoon, I had the chance to speak with Ondrasik.

John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting

A born-and-raised native of the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, Ondrasik’s interest in music and sports began at a young age. A fan of the L.A. Kings (NHL), Ondrasik named the band after a punishment in hockey–five minutes in the penalty box for fighting.

When it comes to baseball, Ondrasik admits that he is a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, but told me that it is easy to jump on the Brewers bandwagon.”

“It’s very exciting. It’s a fun team” he said.

As a California native, Ondrasik is also familiar with many names on the Brewers roster including pitcher Randy Wolf who spent two seasons with the Dodgers, Manager Ron Roenicke who spent 10 years with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on their coaching staff, and Ryan Braun, who coincidentally attended the same high school as Ondrasik, Granada Hills High.

Ondrasik Tweets about fellow Californian Ryan Braun, post-rally.

As a big sports fan, Ondrasik says he has been fortunate to have the opportunity to play many special sporting events.

Prior to the Brewers Playoff Rally, his most recent sports-related appearance was a September 11th half-time tribute during the Cowboys vs. Jets game.

“It was a very respectful and very moving ceremony. There were a lot of survivors there, so that was an honor to play,” Ondrasik said. “I’ve also had a lot of fun, too, whether it was the Daytona 500 or the NHL All-Star Game–again, as a sports fan, these kinds of things are really fun to do. My guitar player is also a huge baseball fan. He was actually born in Milwaukee, so he’s very excited to be here.”

Five for Fighting also has a song about baseball. “The Best” was featured on the soundtrack for Everyone’s Hero a 2006 computer-animated film about the sport.

“A lot of the dads and moms out there who have Little Leaguers will appreciate that song about playing catch with your little ones,” Ondrasik said.

So, as a self-proclaimed sports aficionado, where does Ondrasik think the Brewers will net out in Postseason play?

“Hopefully you win the World Series and we can play your victory party!” he said with a smile.

Fans at the event also had the chance to purchase the latest Brewers Postseason t-shirts, hats and other souvenirs at the Rally as the Brewers merchandise trailers were on site.

The Brewers merchandise trailers were on-site at the Playoff Rally today; they will also be in the parking lots at Miller Park for all home games during the Postseason!

Just as a reminder, if you’re still looking to gear up before the home games against Arizona this weekend, you can visit the Brewers Team Store by Majestic at Miller Park, which has extended Postseason hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

For more information on all of the Brewers Postseason information, check out brewers.com/postseason, which will be continually updated with information on everything pertaining to the Brewers Postseason.

Last night was a night that Brewers fans will never forget. Hopefully it is the beginning of a stretch of many great new Brewers memories. The party at Miller Park was like no other and we are going to continue the party on Thursday as Brewers fans are invited to the Summerfest grounds for a rally to send the National League Central Division Champions (that is pretty cool to say) into the Postseason.

Nyjer Morgan celebrates after the Brewers clinch the N.L. Central Title (Photo by Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

The team will host a celebration on Thursday, September 29 at the Summerfest Grounds (Henry Maier Festival Park). The Brewers Playoff Rally will be free for all fans and will last from 4:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. at the Miller Lite Oasis. The entire Brewers team will make an appearance at the event to thank fans for their support while at the same time, pump up the fans for what we hope will be a long run into October. Fans will also be able to purchase the latest Brewers Postseason t-shirts, hats and other souvenirs at the Rally as the Brewers merchandise trailers will be on site.

The event is free to the public, but fans should keep in mind that there is limited capacity at the Miller Lite Oasis and the event is first-come-first-served. The gates will open at 3:30 p.m. This event was very popular in 2008 and with even more excitement surrounding the Postseason this year, we really expect this to be a great event.

The event will be hosted by Brewers broadcast personalities including Hall of Fame announcer Bob Uecker, Cory Provus, and Bill Schroeder. The rally will be carried live on FS Wisconsin from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. (set your DVRs!) NewsRadio 620 WTMJ will also broadcast from the event.

The entire Brewers team – players and coaches – will make an appearance from approximately 5:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Appearances from Brewers alumni are also expected.

Live entertainment will be provided by Five for Fighting who will take the stage at 6 p.m. The band Pan Am will open the event at 4 p.m.

John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting

Five For Fighting, fronted by singer/songwriter John Ondrasik (On drah sick), has multiple critically-acclaimed and award-winning records to their credit. Their breakthrough came in 2001 with the Grammy-nominated song “Superman” from the Platinum certified “America Town” (Aware/Columbia) CD. In 2004, Ondrasik and the band recorded the Platinum-certified album, “The Battle For Everything,” which yielded the retrospective hit, “100 Years.” Other recent records include “Two Lights” (2006) and the first live Five For Fighting CD titled “Live” (2007). Pan Am is a band out of Los Angeles led by Dan Attanasio, son of Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio.

One more thing that people have been asking about it the weather. If you know me personally, you know I like the weather and living in Milwaukee it is something you always are thinking about. I checked the forecast for Thursday and is looks like it will be a beautiful Milwaukee fall day which would make the celebration even better.

Food and beverage will be available for purchase throughout the event. Parking will be available, at a cost of $5 per vehicle, in Lots G, H, M and P near Henry Maier Festival Park. Patrons should enter the Summerfest Grounds at the Mid Gate (Chicago Street and Harbor Drive).

For more information on this Rally and all of the Brewers Postseason information, check out brewers.com/postseason. This page will be continually updated with information on everything pertaining to the Brewers Postseason.

And he should. He’s the Director of Clubhouse Operations and the
Equipment Manager for the Club and he’s played an integral role in the
clubhouse since Opening Day of 1978, when he started as a batboy and
clubhouse attendant for the visiting side of things. “It was Paul Molitor‘s first game for the Brewers. I always look back
and kind of laugh that at the time, Molitor made the team and started
the season as shortstop, nobody had really heard of him. Robin [Yount] had some
health issues so he didn’t start on Opening Day, but Molitor did. There
was a picture in the paper back then of Molitor making a play and there
I was, the ball boy down the left-field line, just sitting there, you
know? His first day and mine,” Tony recalls.

The 1978 Milwaukee Brewers Team Photo. Tony is
third from the left in the bottom row. Paul Molitor is second from the
right in the fourth row.

The next season, Tony switched over to the home clubhouse, where he was a
batboy and a clubhouse attendant three more years before he became the
clubhouse assistant to then Equipment Manager, Bob Sullivan for
approximately four years. When Bob passed away, Tony was given the head
job as Director of Clubhouse Operations and Equipment Manager and he’s
had that ever since.

“You work as the Equipment Manager and in that role, you order all the
equipment the players need to play the game–bats, balls, shoes, clothes, etc. On the
other side of it, we manage and operate the clubhouse, running the
day-to-day operations of that.That part of the job entails clothing
them and providing another service by feeding them breakfast, lunch and
dinner. We do what we can to get them on the field. Everyone has a role.
The trainers’ role is to keep them healthy on the field, the coaches’
job is to teach. Here, we keep a nice house, clothe them, feed them and
make sure they’re happy, play the game and have a good time.” he
explained.

“I think everyday is unique. That’s kind of the neat part of it. You can
come in here and every day there is a different challenge or need. Our
role is to make the guys as comfortable as possible. They have enough
hurdles in the game, on the field, and so many other things going on
around them in their lives that we try to make it as comfortable for
them as we can and to create an enjoyable environment.”

Tony and I talked about the change in the uniforms over the years. As
time has progressed, the uniform specifications have gotten a little
more complicated, keeping Tony and his staff on their toes.

“You look at the guys on the field now and compare it to the late 1980s,
where it was all just cookie cutter- you know, 34″ waist pants and a
44″ jersey. Now we’ve got many options, for example, pants can be open
bottom, or more tapered. Some players may wear things bigger,
looser…The marketing of the game has changed as such that there is a
lot more variety–a couple of different jackets, a couple different
jerseys.”

Tony told me that the team never had BP tops in the 80s, they just wore
game jerseys. Now in essence, there are six different jerseys and each
player has to have more than one as a backup in case something happens.
When you multiply that times a 25-man roster, plus a few guys that Tony
knows will move up and down in the organization due to injuries,
pitching, etc. that he’ll also need to carry uniforms and equipment for,
you can see he has quite a bit to handle and monitor for inventory.

And, when it comes to Spring Training when a team has such a large roster, you can imagine that Tony is a very busy man.

“In Spring Training you are doing a lot of the same things as you would
during the regular season, but you have twice as many players. We have
53 players here now and we’ll leave here with 25. So that’s the
difference with Spring Training, the magnitude, more people to take care
of, more to feed, more to clothe, more equipment to provide,” Tony
said.

Tony remembers years ago when it seemed like Spring Training was looked
upon as the time that players would use to get in shape. They’d come
down to camp, play 20 games and then go back ready to start the season.
It was much lower key and the days were shorter.

“Now,” Tony said, “Players come down in shape, we play 30 games and
there are more services required. Sometimes, there are two games a day.
It is a little more intense than it used to be.”

“I have been fortunate that I’ve worked in all three facilities that
we’ve been in: Sun City, Chandler and here in Maryvale.You look at the
progression, even just in our area, at the space we’ve had and what
we’ve provided. In Sun City, we had a very tiny equipment room, but you
made it work, you adjusted things. We didn’t provide as much stuff for
the guys. Then we moved to Chandler and it was a little bigger, but now
we have this space, which is twice as big and we’ve already outgrown it
into renting storage facilities to house a lot of the equipment,” Tony
said.

Here is just one area of Tony’s equipment room at Maryvale Baseball Park.

Just like the rest of us, there is no offseason for Tony Migliaccio and
his staff.

Starting in January, trucks will leave Milwaukee bringing
everything down to set up for camp. Tony and his staff will arrive, help
take part in the Brewers Fantasy Camp, work through Spring Training and
then travel back to Milwaukee for Opening Day and play through the
summer. Then when all the games are done, while their hours are a little
more regular and they have weekends free, they still have to prepare
for the following year, taking inventory, working on the budget, and
planning.

Tony also travels with the team.

“I do 90% of the travel. I made every trip for probably about 15 or 16
years and then, 10 to12 years ago, we started breaking up the trips a
little bit so Visiting Clubhouse Manager Phil Rozewicz or Home Clubhouse
Assistant Jason Shawger will make a trip or two. Out of Spring
Training, I will pretty much stay with the team throughout the first
month of April and wait until the middle or end of May to take a trip
off to stay at home, catch up in the office and at home,” Tony said.

In his job, Tony also has to be prepared for anything.

“When we travel throughout the year, part of our extra equipment stock
is carrying blank jerseys and numbers, everything you need to make a
jersey. In each city, we have a reciprocal relationship with the
visiting clubhouse staff that take care of us. They have a seamstress on
hand that they work with so if we get into San Diego late one night andVice President-Assistant General Manager Gord Ash calls and says ‘Hey,
we’re bringing up so-and-so,’ I can get to the park early that morning,
pull out everything I need, call our contact, have them come out and put
our jersey together within a couple hours,” he explained.

“Knock on wood, we’ve always got it there in time. I have heard there
have been situations with some teams where they make a move so quickly
that they have to have a player wear a jersey with another name on the
back just to get out there on the field. We’ve been lucky where its
worked out. That’s one great thing about Majestic Athletic being the
licensee and having all of the team for uniforms–they have a good bank
of knowledge as to everyone’s sizes.”

Tony takes extra precautions to be prepared and make sure he’s ready for
anything. When it became likely that we would make the trade for CC
Sabathia in 2008, it was Fourth of July weekend and he knew that
Majestic shuts down for the holidays. Knowing CC’s size and that he had
such unique specs on his gear, Tony took the initiative to order his
uniforms the week before, to have them on hand just in case.

“I figured hey, you know what, if we don’t make the trade, it will be a collector’s item. It all worked out,” he recalled.

Speaking of 2008, making the Postseason that year ranks in the top 10 of Tony’s favorite memories in his time with the Club.

“It pretty neat, the way it came down to the last day.The way it played out was pretty cool,” he said.

“I was also fortunate to be around during the World Series in the early
’80s. I was a young kid then,” Tony said. “Molitor’s 39-game hitting
streak was pretty neat, Robin’s 3000th hit, 1987, that whole start ofwinning 13 in a row, Nieves throwing a no-hitter. That was a pretty
unique thing, to start off that hot,” he said.

It was great catching up with Tony and taking a tour of his world, but
with his phone buzzing during our interview and guys stopping him along
the way, I knew I had to let him get back to work.

Here’s to hoping the 2011 season makes Tony’s list of favorite memories!

Meta

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